http://komplexify.com/blog Self referencing and self contradictory Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:53:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Each semester, I offer students a last chance for extra credit by writing their favorite joke or riddle on their crib sheet, with extra credit assigned based purely on how funny I think it is. Although it's a little late this year (these are from Fall 2009!), here are some ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/03/09/joke-time-8/ The Ladybug is in full conversation mode, and she'll strike up a conversation with just about anyone, often with amusing results.  Here are two examples from today's outing: The Ladybug and I are at Hot Topic, looking for "Perry the Platypus" tee shirts.  A sales gal walks up and starts talking ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/03/07/ladybug-greetings/ I just saw Tim Burton's new Alice in Wonderland movie.  It's hard to say if it's a sequel to the books or a re-imagining of the whole thing.  In it, a young girl is accidentally transported from her humdrum everyday world to a fantasy land where she is recruited by ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/03/06/movie-review-alice-in-wonderland/ When driving home tonight I went by a sign that read DALE'S TIRED RETARD CENTER I was aghast that anyone would name thier business that, much less think that was a business niche that required filling. However, before my indignation reached critical level, a noticed I had misread the sign, which actually was DALE'S TIRE RETREAD ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/03/05/my-karma-ran-over-my-dogma/ I have students submit an electronic homework problem every day in my Calc III class.  Today's problem was "Find a vector valued function $latex f(t)$ whose graph lies on the curve $latex \displaystyle x^2 + 4 y^2 = 16$. About 25 of the 60 responses I got back read exactly as ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/03/04/how-do-you-parametrize-stupidity/ The movie Next has been on TV a lot lately.  To say it's a bit repetitive might be an understatement.  Here's the movie summarized in psuedocode. movie NEXT () { set audience-satisfaction = 0; set plot-points-resolved = 0; set creepy_factor = 0; do while (creepy_factor < 2) { ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/03/03/movie-review-next/ After Calc III, student C pulled me aside. "Dr K," he said, "I think I finally figured out calculus.  Check this out." C grabbed a piece of chalk. "At first you think math is all about functions and curves.  Functions are like 'I can do anything I want.'" He drew a plane curve meandering ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/03/02/fundamental-theorem-part-ii/ After a lecture introducing the cross product of vectors in $latex \mathbb{R}^3$, student R countered me thus: "Dr. K, I'm a little worried about this cross product stuff." "How so?" I asked. "Well, check this out," R said.  He then proceeded to diagram the determinant expansion formula for the cross product: $latex \mathbf{u} ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/03/01/fundamental-theorem/ From a conversation between Ladybug and I about her crush on Alex, a boy from her preschool: The Ladybug: Don't. Tell. Anyone.  It's a un-prize. Me: Do you mean a surprise? The Ladybug: No.  When you wait to tell everybody, that's a surprise.  When you don't tell anybody, that's a unprise. I was particularly ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/02/27/grammar/ Dear Ladybug, This week you turned forty-seven months old.  While you're still a month away from becoming the Big Four, that doesn't much seem to matter anymore, as this month you became a Big Sister, which to you is infinitely better. You've been excited about being a big sister for some time ... http://komplexify.com/blog/2010/02/20/newsletter-month-forty-seven/